Dental floss

ABSTRACT

Dental floss comprises a pair of strands twisted together. One strand is smooth and relatively strong, for example nylon. The other strand is relatively weak and has tufts at spaced intervals thereon for cleaning between the teeth and may be example cotton.

United States Patent 11 1 Pesce Feb. 5, 1974 [54] DENTAL FLOSS 3,042,482 7/1962 Woodell 57/140 J [761 Inventor Louis 1311 Webser Ave-y i254??? if}??? 5231551311: 11113111111: iii/33 Maltland, 32789 2,821,202 l/l958 Davis 132/93 22 Filed: Dec. 27, 1971 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene PP N04 212,472 Assistant Examiner-J. Q. Lever Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Young & Thompson [52] US. Cl. 132/89 51 Int. Cl. A6lc 15/00 [571 ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 132/89; 57/140 BY, 140 J D nt l floss comprises a pair of ran t i ed 0- gether. One strand is smooth and relatively strong, for [56] References Cited example nylon. The other strand is relatively weak and UNITED STATES PATENTS has tufts at spaced intervals thereon for cleaning be- 2,99e,s72 8/1961 Porczynski 57 140 BY tween the teeth and may be example cotton 3,395,527 8/1968 Longley 57/140 BY 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures STRANDS FULLY INTERTWINED PATENTED FEB 5 I974 STRANDS FULLY INTERTWINED STRANDS PARTIALLY INTERTWINED WEAK TU FTED STRAND STRONG STRAND DENTAL FLOSS The present invention relates to dental floss, more particularly of the type with protuberances thereon for assisting in cleaning between the teeth.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a dental floss which will clean effectively between the occlusal surfaces of adjacent teeth.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a dental floss which will be both strong and absorbent.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dental floss which will be relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and easy and reliable to use.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of the relatively strong strand of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the relatively weak tufted strand of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view of the two strands partially intertwined; and

FIG. 4 is a view of the two strands fully intertwined,

1 showing the nature of the finished product which is the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, there is shown in FIG. 1 a length of the relatively strong strand l, which may be either monofilamentary or polyfilamentary and is preferably polyfilamentary, that is, a bundle of filaments disposed side-by-side in unwoven fashion, in the nature of a roving. The material of strand 1 is selected for strength and may be any of the relatively strong flexible strand materials that are in use for conventional dental flosses, for example, polyamide, polyester or nylon filaments. Particularly preferred is polyamide, e.g., nylon.

In FIG. 2 there is shown the relatively weak tufted strand 2, having spaced tufts 3 thereon. Strand 2, like strand 1, is preferably composed of a multiplicity of coextensive filaments; and tufts 3 may be formed in several different ways. In one way, tufts 3 may be formed simply by picking apart the filaments of strand 2 without breaking them. In another way, tufts 3 may be formed by a more conventional tufting process, that is, in which some but not all of the filaments of strand 2 are broken and pulled out from the contour of strand 2 at spaced intervals. In still another way, tufts 3 may be formed by wrapping further filaments of the material of strand 2 about strand 2 at spaced intervals. The method comprising breaking some but not all of the filaments and displacing them from the contour of the strand of course weakens the strand adjacent the tufts;

but this is acceptable, as it is strand 1 that imparts tensile strength to the floss, and not strand 2.

The materials of strand 2 may be for example cotton, wool or rayon. Cotton is preferred because of its relatively great absorbency.

A preferred material for strand 2 is the commercially available flake or slub. This material may be of cotton, wool, rayon or the like, but is preferably cotton, more preferably of long strand Egyptian cotton. It is conventionally made on a spinning frame and is a staple article of commerce which is commonly used in the textile in dustry to impart a nubby texture to fabrics.

The strands 1 and 2 are twisted together as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, to form the final floss. The finished product is thus a relatively tightly intertwined composite of a relatively strong strand 1 and a relatively weak tufted strand 2. It will of course be appreciated that the tensile strength of the floss is largely due to strand 1, but that the absorbency and cleaning ability of the floss are largely due to strand 2.

In use, a portion of the floss intermediate the tufts is inserted in the usual way between the occlusal surfaces of a pair of adjacent teeth. After insertion, the floss can be pulled through in the usual way, the tufts 3 and the absorbency of strand 2 performing a very effective cleaning.

In view of the foregoing disclosure, therefore, it will be seen that all of the initially recited objects of the present invention have been achieved.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, as those skilled in this art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Dental floss comprising a pair of intertwined strands, both of said strands being polyfilamentary, one of said strands being smooth and stronger than the other of said strands, said other strand having a higher absorbency than said one strand and having spaced tufts thereon.

2. Dental floss as claimed in claim 1, said one strand being polyamide.

3. Dental floss as claimed in claim 1, said other strand being cotton.

4. Dental floss as claimed in claim 3, said cotton strand being slub.

5. Dental floss as claimed in claim 1, said one strand being nylon and said other strand being cotton slub. 

1. Dental floss comprising a pair of intertwined strands, both of said strands being polyfilamentary, one of said strands being smooth and stronger than the other of said strands, said other strand having a higher absorbency than said one strand and having spaced tufts thereon.
 2. Dental floss as claimed in claim 1, said one strand being polyamide.
 3. Dental floss as claimed in claim 1, said other strand being cotton.
 4. Dental floss as claimed in claim 3, said cotton strand being slub.
 5. Dental floss as claimed in claim 1, said one strand being nylon and said other strand being cotton slub. 